Computing devices can transmit data packets through a network to communicate with one another. A network-hardware component (e.g., router, hub, switch, etc.) that forms at least a portion of the physical infrastructure behind the network can process the data packets and route the data packets to their destinations. Typically, the network-hardware component will receive the data packets and add the data packets to a queue, such as a data buffer. A processor of the network-hardware component will then analyze the data packets in the queue before routing the data packets to their destinations. The amount of time it takes the processor to analyze the data packets in the queue can depend on a clock rate of the processor. For example, if the clock rate of the processor is higher, such as 2.6 Gigahertz (GHz), the processor can typically process data packets in the queue faster than if the clock rate is lower, such as 1.8 GHz.
The amount of time the processor takes to process the data packets in the queue can affect the latency of the network. For example, if the processor takes longer to process the data packets in the queue, the latency of the network generally increases. Conversely, if the processor takes less time to process the data packets in the queue, the latency of the network generally decreases. Thus, to reduce the latency of the network, the clock rate of the processor often is maintained at a higher frequency so that the processor can process the data packets more quickly.